There are two types of dependents, "Qualifying Children"(QC) and standard ("Qualifying Relative" in IRS parlance even though they don't have to actually be related). There is no income limit for a QC but there is an age limit, a relationship test and residence test. Only a QC qualifies a taxpayer for the Earned Income Credit and the Child Tax Credit. They are interrelated but the rules are different for each.
Your adult child having a disability eliminates the age test. He may a qualifying child forever, as long as he meets the other rules. But there are separate rules for the Child Tax Credit (CTC). Being a QC does not get you Child Tax credit forever. The age limit, for the Child Tax Credit is 16. When the child turns 17, regardless of a disability, he no longer gets you the CTC.
Any kind of dependent gets you the Other Dependent Credit, including a QC too old for the CTC.
So, what good does being a QC do you? No matter how much money he makes, he can continue to be your dependent. In addition, he qualifies you for the EIC, as long as he is your dependent.
A child of a taxpayer can still be a “Qualifying Child” (QC) dependent, regardless of his/her income, if:
- He is under age 19, or under 24 if a full time student for at least 5 months of the year, or is totally & permanently disabled
- He did not provide more than 1/2 his own support. Scholarships are considered third party support and not as support provided by the student.
- He lived with the parent (including temporary absences such as away at school) for more than half the year
So, it doesn't matter how much he earned. What matters is how much he spent on support. Money he put into savings does not count as support he spent on him self.
The support value of the home, provided by the parent, is the fair market rental value of the home plus utilities & other expenses divided by the number of occupants.
